I recently received an “Energy Gram” email from We Energies that provided me with the top three ways to save money on my electric bill.

The suggestions made by We Energies were:

Control air leakage to save $79 to $131 per year.

Raise thermostat settings to save $58 to $96 per year.

Seal leaks in air ducts to save $52 to $86 per year.

I suspect if these are the top three ways that I can save on my bill, most people will receive the same suggestions on their Energy Gram.

Controlling Air Leakage

After reading the resources that We Energies provided, I learned that their estimate of saving $79 to $131 by controlling air leakage was based on an assumption I could improve the weather stripping around doors and in electrical outlets. However, all of the windows and doors in my house are fairly new, so there really isn’t much of an opportunity for improvement there. I will have to look further into improving insulation around my electrical outlets, even though I doubt I could save significant dollars in this area.

Raising the Thermostat

We Energies says I could save $58 to $96 per year if I push my thermostat to 76 degrees in the summer. I currently keep it at 75 degrees. I wondered if I could really save that much money just by raising the thermostat one degree, so I did a search on Google for “raise thermostat one degree”. I could quickly see in the results that consensus was a homeowner could save two to four percent on a utility bill if they would raise their thermostat one degree. I could probably save a little money here, although not as much as the email suggests, and I plan to try this out in the near future. We Energies also says that part of this cost savings could be realized by installing ceiling fans to help rooms feel cooler.

Sealing Leaks in Air Ducts

I’m intrigued by the notion of saving $52 to $86 simply by sealing leaks in the air ducts of my home. This is a project I had never considered before and have added it to my to-do list to evaluate further. Again, I turned to Google and found this article from Energy Star. The article claims that about 20% of the air that moves through the duct system is lost due to leaks, holes, and poorly connected ducts. The article has links to a Do-It-Yourself Guide and brochures with more information.

All in all, I’m glad I took the time to analyze the energy saving from We Energies. It got me thinking what I can do to save some money on my utility bill. If you’re interested in analyzing your We Energies bill and looking for ways you can save money, visit the We Energies website for a number of resources, including 101 money-saving tips.